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Kim Jong Un meets with South Korean officials for historic talks in Pyongyang

-A South Korean delegation met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Monday for the first time.
-The talks could set the tone for US engagement at a later date.
-The South Koreans received a warm welcome but promised to push North Korea on denuclearizing — something it bitterly opposes.
-International sanctions are closing in on North Korea, and the US and South Korea are expected to return to regular military exercises after the Paralympics.

A 10-member South Korean delegation met face-to-face with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Monday for the first time in history — and the talks could set the tone for later US engagement.

The meeting, which took place in Pyongyang, reportedly involved an elegant reception and banquet for the visiting diplomats, who will stay in what a representative of the South Korean president's office told NK News was a "luxury resort" on the Taedong River.

"The North Korean side has been preparing a lot for warmly welcoming the South Korean delegation," the representative said. North Korea is known to go all out when hosting foreign diplomats.

But while the South Koreans may have found a warm reception, the delegation's leader promised they would talk about the most difficult topic at hand and most likely the elephant in the room: North Korea's nuclear arsenal and ambitions.

Chung Eui-yong, the chief of South Korea's National Security Office, told reporters at a briefing that, "more than anything," the diplomats would "clearly deliver" South Korean President Moon Jae-in's "firm will to achieve the denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula and create sincere and permanent peace."

North Korea has consistently said its possession of nuclear weapons is nonnegotiable; it's even written into the country's constitution. The US and South Korea maintain that their goal in engaging with North Korea is denuclearization and that any mutual talks must seek that end.

Since the Pyeongchang Olympics in South Korea, North Korea has been much more open to inter-Korean talks, with Kim even inviting Moon to Pyongyang to become the first head of state to meet him in person.

Moon has not yet accepted the invitation, and US President Donald Trump has said talks must happen only "under the right conditions."

But North Korea may be feeling pressure to engage diplomatically with the US and South Korea, as a new wave of sanctions and an aggressive policy by the Trump administration of policing North Korea's exports threaten to hamstring the country's economy.

Additionally, the US and South Korea are expected to return to normal military exercises in mid-March after the Paralympic Games; such exercises serve as a major irritant to North Korea, which often responds with missile tests. Experts calculate that Pyongyang still needs several tests to ensure the functionality of its latest intercontinental ballistic missile systems.

N. Korea willing to denuclearise if security guaranteed: Seoul

Seoul (AFP) – North Korea said it was willing to abandon its nuclear weapons if the security of its regime is guaranteed, Seoul’s envoy said Tuesday after meeting with the North’s leader Kim Jong Un.

“The North made clear its willingness for the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, and made clear that there is no reason to own nuclear (programmes) if military threats towards the North are cleared and the security of its regime is guaranteed,” said Chung Eui-yong, national security adviser to South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

I thought we had killed off Saddam and here he's back in a Mini Me size ....

the US is working to shut down the Cairo based NK embassy - working fulltime selling missiles, parts and technology to anyone with a wallet - selling BOATLOADS of weapons & munitions likewise - intercepted an entire $26M boatload of NK made RPG heads last year ....

all the $$$$$$ for their nuke program - really sounds like they are stopping ....

=================================================Possible progress being made in talks with North Korea. For the first time in many years, a serious effort is being made by all parties concerned. The World is watching and waiting! May be false hope, but the U.S. is ready to go hard in either direction!

North Korea Is Apparently Open To Giving Up Its Nukes
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shakes hands with Chung Eui-yong who is leading a special delegation of South Korea's President, in this photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on March 6, 2018. KCNA/via Reuters

7:50 AM 03/06/2018

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un expressed a willingness to denuclearize in a meeting with South Korean diplomats, Seoul revealed Tuesday.

The rogue regime is apparently offering to not only discuss giving up the nuclear arsenal it has spent decades building, but also halting ballistic missile and nuclear weapons tests while negotiations are underway.

“The North Korean side clearly stated its willingness to denuclearize,” the South Korean presidential office said in a statement. “It made it clear that it would have no reason to keep nuclear weapons if the military threat to the North was eliminated and its security guaranteed.”

“The North expressed its willingness to hold a heartfelt dialogue with the U.S. on the issues of denuclearization and normalizing relations with the United States. It made it clear that while dialogue is continuing, it will not attempt any strategic provocations, such as nuclear and ballistic missile tests,” the Blue House further explained.

Furthermore, the North agreed to hold a summit meeting with the South in April. The two sides also agreed to set up a military hotline to reduce tensions on the peninsula.

While North Korea has signaled a willingness to talk to the U.S., Washington remains skeptical of Pyongyang’s intentions, asserting that it may be attempting to buy time to complete its nuclear weapons program or reduce the pressure against it.

Seoul (AFP) – North Korea said it was willing to abandon its nuclear weapons if the security of its regime is guaranteed, Seoul’s envoy said Tuesday after meeting with the North’s leader Kim Jong Un.

“The North made clear its willingness for the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, and made clear that there is no reason to own nuclear (programmes) if military threats towards the North are cleared and the security of its regime is guaranteed,” said Chung Eui-yong, national security adviser to South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

He wants something BIG! Probably wants something big just for lying - I mean talking- about denuclearization. And then when he gets what he wants, he'll still keep his nukes. We've seen this movie before and the end is always the same.

This knowledge is the king of education, the most secret of all secrets. It is the purest knowledge, and because it gives direct perception of the self by realization, it is the perfection of religion. It is everlasting, and it is joyfully performed.

“My religious belief teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. God has fixed the time for my death. I do not concern myself about that, but to be always ready, no matter when it may overtake me. That is the way all men should live, and then all would be equally brave.” - Stonewall Jackson

WASHINGTON — President Trump will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un by May for high-level talks toward a nuclear-free Korean peninsula, a South Korean official said outside the White House Thursday.

The extraordinary and unexpected opening came through shuttle diplomacy by a South Korean delegation arriving in Washington Thursday. Trump heralded the development as a "major announcement" after speaking with the South Korean president.

"I told President Trump that in our meeting, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he's committed to denuclearization. He pledged that North Korea will refrain from any further nuclear or missile tests," South Korean national security adviser Chung Eui-yong told reporters after meeting with Trump at the White House.

Significantly, there was no insistence that the United States and South Korea suspend joint military exercises.

Chung met with Kim earlier this week, and came to Washington Thursday to relay the message from the North Korean leader.

"I explained to President Trump that his leadership, and his maximum pressure policy, along with international solidarity, brought us to this juncture," he said. The Trump administration has rallied the United Nations to impose ever-tightening sanctions against North Korea following a battery of missile tests.

Yeah sure, he's going to give up his nuclear program and his role as a "God" right? I'm sure "peace & security" will entail a demand that the US pulls entirely out of South Korea. Then I predict a "reunification" that mirrors the NVA entering Saigon. Kim is never going to willingly give up absolute power - let alone nukes. This is nothing more than a way to buy time at best, or a major distraction while he prepares to strike when the world thinks he's being such a good guy (gag me)!

Maddow Seethes Over Trump Leading Possible Peace Talks With North Korea

March 9, 2018

President Trump shocked the world Thursday night when it was announced that he planned to sit down with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un in the coming months. The political world was so overwhelmed by the news that even the journalists at CNN were more or less optimistic. Yet over at MSNBC, host Rachel Maddow was anything but enthused by the idea as she spewed skepticism and threw shade at the commander-in-chief for accepting North Korea’s offer.

Towards the beginning of her bitter rant, Maddow seemed to question the President’s intelligence and/or knowledge of history for taking the meeting:
You might think another president in this circumstance, you can imagine a president asking himself or herself, “why has no other American president ever agreed to do this? Why has no sitting American president ever met with a leader from North Korea? Why has that never happened in all the decades North Korea existed as a nation? Should I take that to mean that this might be particularly risky or even an unwise move?”

Maddow whined about how Trump wasn’t doing what most presidents and even most people would do in approaching the situation. “I think a lot of people probably suspect tonight that those are not the kinds of questions that this president asked himself before agreeing to this meeting,” she said. “But this is the president we have and he said yes to North Korea.”

But meanwhile, this is the same MSNBC journalist that fawned over President Obama for the Iran nuclear deal. “[It’s] the major foreign policy achievement, not only of this presidency, but of this American generation,” she obnoxiously declared at the time. Maddow also gushed about how Obama had reached out to the dictatorial government of Cuba.

The MSNBC host was joined, via phone, by NBC National Security and Military reporter Courtney Kube and questioned her about what kind of problems Trump could cause and who in the “national security establishment” would stand up to him.

“It's definitely risky,” Kube said, stating the obvious. “So, one of the things this would do, if we have a picture of Kim Jong-un and President Trump standing next to one another, this actually achieves one of Kim Jong-un's long-standing and his father's goal which is to elevate North Korea.”

Maddow was clearly flummoxed by the massive shift in U.S. policy following a year of other historic and unorthodox interactions with the regime that had built up to this move. “It has been through Republican and Democratic administrations, the whole strategy not only for the United States but for the United States as leader of the free world, to the extent that we are, has been to treat North Korea as a pariah state and thereby try to change their behavior,” she huffed.

A face-to-face meeting with Kim Jong-un was a unique and groundbreaking development in the ongoing war between the two Koreas. Even Maddow’s MSNBC colleagues Chris Matthews and Joe Cirincione recognized the significance of the news. On CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper (who’s adamantly anti-Trump) was glad to see this moment come to fruition because it meant real progress in the ability to negotiate.

The relevant portions of the transcript are below, click expand to read:

(…)

RACHEL MADDOW: Now you might imagine another president in this circumstance. Kim Jong-un makes a request, “you want to meet?” You might think another president in this circumstance, you can imagine a president asking himself or herself, “why has no other American president ever agreed to do this? Why has no sitting American president ever met with a leader from North Korea? Why has that never happened in all the decades North Korea existed as a nation? Should I take that to mean that this might be particularly risky or even an unwise move?”

I think that's how most presidents would approach the idea of a personal presidential meeting with the North Korean dictator. I think a lot of people probably suspect tonight that those are not the kinds of questions that this president asked himself before agreeing to this meeting. But this is the president we have and he said yes to North Korea.

(…)

MADDOW: This is, correct me if I'm wrong, Courtney, you know more about this than I do. But in my living memory as a human being that pays attention to the news, I feel like there have been other announcements from North Korea they were freezing the nuclear program, that they were stopping tests and in the past, they’ve even pledged to dismantle their nuclear program. That's what they had pledged to the Clinton administration. During the Clinton administration, of course, that all fell apart during the George W. Bush administration. There have been previous announcements from them about them stopping or taking apart the program, right?

(…)

MADDOW: Courtney, let me just ask you one last piece of this. Obviously, the huge headline here is that no other American president—no other sitting president has ever agreed to meet one on one, to meet in person with the North Korean dictator. And because this was a surprise, because the Secretary of State, you know, isn't there, the Secretary of State is in Africa right now, there isn't a South Korean ambassador, the long-time head of North Korea policy at the State Department just left his job just left last week.

Is there any concern that the President by agreeing to take this meeting, that he may be doing something risky? That there may be people within the national security establishment and in the military who may object to the President taking this meeting one on one?

COURTNEY KUBE: It's definitely risky. So, one of the things this would do, if we have a picture of Kim Jong-un and President Trump standing next to one another, this actually achieves one of Kim Jong-un's long-standing and his father's goal which is to elevate North Korea. It’s to make them be seen as a major world power. You can make the argument that 2017 was actually really a banner year for North Korea, for the ballistic missile, and their nuclear testing. They achieved three intercontinental missiles that the Defense Intelligence Agency just said this week had the potential—had the capability of hitting North America.

You could make the argument Kim Jong-un reached the point that he wants to be at. He’s a nuclear power, he has missiles capable of hitting the United States. And now if he is to meet with President Trump, well now he's seen as a world leader, you know, that optic of him potentially being seen as an equal to the leader of the free world, the president of the United States.

MADDOW: Wow.

(…)

MADDOW: This is a remarkable change. Right? It has been through Republican and Democratic administrations, the whole strategy not only for the United States but for the United States as leader of the free world, to the extent that we are, has been to treat North Korea as a pariah state and there by try to change their behavior. This is obviously a big change if the President is going to shake hands and meet with this guy and sit down with him one on one at the table.

I've been debating, both sides have been nice so no name calling, with a group of people who hate Trump, they have said all sorts of things that were incorrect and provably fals. Last night I posted that image to the thread of Kim with the wording "Willing to negotiate with Trump Dems aren't or whatever from above and told them 'This is why Trump won.'

Looked in a bit ago and one of them was saying "He agreed to the meeting requested by Trump! I know what I'm talking about!"

First response was they sounded like a Nine year old telling Stephen Hawkings about Quantum Theory, then I asked, even were it so, do they simply not care about millions of starving people in one country and millions in another possibly catching a nuke? Then I asked self why am I discussing this with people who do not know which restroom to use and who eat Tide Pods?

"It ain't no secret I didn't get these scars falling over in church."

I have not failed. I have simple discovered ten-thousand ways things don't work.

Have been reading “Nuclear Blues”, one of the free ebooks here. Big part of the plot is NK has been buying/selling Credit Default Swaps while manipulating the price with “provocations” from time to time. They would buy them slowly while things were calm, then cause shit to be stirred up and sell them at a higher price. If this really happened, they would be buying them while it’s all unicorns and skittles, then there will be some kind of “misunderstanding”, they will get pissed off again, and probably launch the mother of all provocations, disrupting the markets and reaping big profits again.
Mark my words, this skittle storm won’t last 6 months, certainly not a year.

"...Cry 'Havoc' and let slip the cats of war..."
Razor sharpening while you wait - Occam
If it works, it doesn't have enough features. - Windows 10 design philosophy.
Forget the beer, I'm just here for the doom!
Humans, just a tool for amino acids to make Swiss watches.

Yeah sure, he's going to give up his nuclear program and his role as a "God" right? I'm sure "peace & security" will entail a demand that the US pulls entirely out of South Korea. Then I predict a "reunification" that mirrors the NVA entering Saigon. Kim is never going to willingly give up absolute power - let alone nukes. This is nothing more than a way to buy time at best, or a major distraction while he prepares to strike when the world thinks he's being such a good guy (gag me)!

Probably but another [[slim]] line of thought. There has been word of stirring in the ranks, the .Mil side wants him to go even more Communist and the other side is tired of that shit. Country is broke. He's lived outside-educated in Sweden IIRC so he has seen what the world has to offer in the way of food [[obviously he likes food, entertainment, modernization and so forth. He may be getting pressure from other sources China, Russia, certainly the U.S. and SK/Japan. He knows he cannot compete and, no matter wehat hidey-hole he has someone can find and remove him plus he may have health issues die to his weight/genetics the doctors in NK simply cannot deal with.

It may be coming to or past a point where NK is no longer sustainable or his health is, maybe he is simply bored, wants to watch some B-ball with his homies and HBO, go to Disney and eat Taco Bell.

"It ain't no secret I didn't get these scars falling over in church."

I have not failed. I have simple discovered ten-thousand ways things don't work.

Yeah sure, he's going to give up his nuclear program and his role as a "God" right? I'm sure "peace & security" will entail a demand that the US pulls entirely out of South Korea. Then I predict a "reunification" that mirrors the NVA entering Saigon. Kim is never going to willingly give up absolute power - let alone nukes. This is nothing more than a way to buy time at best, or a major distraction while he prepares to strike when the world thinks he's being such a good guy (gag me)!

He lost a lot of his nuke program already, such as all the scientists, and who knows what else, with that explosion, collapse, or whatever it was...Rods from God, many think it was.

This knowledge is the king of education, the most secret of all secrets. It is the purest knowledge, and because it gives direct perception of the self by realization, it is the perfection of religion. It is everlasting, and it is joyfully performed.

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